Gospel Living

Funny stuff right there:

This past week was the anniversary for the "moon landing," if you know what I mean: (HT: Kevin DeYoung )

Real love isn’t exposed in agreement. On the contrary, loving those who agree with us is really loving ourselves. There is no merit in that (Luke 6:32-36). It is a type of love which requires no effort, no lack of selfishness, no understanding of God’s love. --- from an article at Counseling Solutions,  a read which I recommend .

My awesome wife sent me another moving story from the Aurora, CO shooting.  In this account , the victim was shot, in the head, and suffers little brain damage.  Here's a snippet of the account: The doctor explains that Petra’s brain has had from birth a small “defect” in it. It is a tiny channel of fluid running through her skull, like a tiny vein through marble, or a small hole in an oak board, winding from front to rear.  Only a CAT scan would catch it, and Petra would have never noticed it.   But in Petra’s case, the shotgun buck shot, maybe even the size used for deer hunting, enters her brain from the exact point of this defect. Like a marble through a small tube, the defect channels the bullet from Petra’s nose through her brain. It turns slightly several times, and comes to rest at the rear of her brain. And in the process, the bullet misses all the vital areas of the brain. In many ways, it almost  misses the brain  itself.  Like a g...

This is a very misunderstood area of our theology, clouding our understanding of the must fundamental of Christian beliefs, so I encourage you to give a listen or a watch to these two messages. Dr. John MacArthur - An Introduction to the Sovereign Gospel: Dr. John MacArthur - An Explanation of the Sovereign Gospel: (HT to RT )

Todd Friel explained the following on this past Thursday's Wretched Radio broadcast.  Here's the paraphrase (dangerous, I know).  I missed where he got this principle, but it's interesting and helpful for understanding how God deals with mankind. So, here's the " two-two-two principle :" God deals with two kinds of people: saved and unsaved for two different reasons: pouring out wrath and leading to salvation using two different means: primary and secondary Because of God's multi-faceted plans, the "God did this because..." or "God allowed this because..." statements are too concrete, too black-and-white, to apply to tragedies capturing national attention. That, along with the fact that we have no scriptural or revelatory authority upon which to state such claims, means that we should practice prudence and be slow to speak.

Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your feet from being caught. My loving wife forwarded me a moving blog post from a mother who survived the horrors of the Colorado theater shooting.   Give it a read.

My wife pointed me to a disgusting story from The Guardian .  A woman was upset that protesters were showing her pictures of her fetus outside of an abortion clinic, so she snuck off a few shots of her own abortion and posted them at  http://www.thisismyabortion.com/ . From here page: My intention in documenting and sharing my abortion is to demystify the sensationalist images propagated by the religious and political right on this matter. The perverse use of lifeless fetus photographs are a propaganda tool in the prolife/prochoice debate in which women and their bodies are used as pawns to push a cultural, political, and religious agenda in the United States. Alright, so here are a few things things about the life that was inside that do not come from a propaganda site.  Here's what's been growing inside, based on information from  http://www.pregnancy.org/  and  www.babycenter.com/ . Gender - the baby was either a boy or a girl on the outset ...

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. - Proverbs 14:29 Elyse Fitzpatrick explains that parents who constantly hammer away have forgotten the gospel: Gospel-centered parenting doesn't mean you're saccharine, exuding falsely sweet tidings in light of your child's disobedient ways.  It does bring them into perspective, however, and promise the power to react rightly to each situation.

(HT: Deejay O'Flaherty ) True dat.  True dat indeed.

Pastors, if you're looking for a contemporary sermon series idea, try Guns n' Roses: SYKE!

(HT: DGBlog ) From Pastor John's sermon, “ Songs that Shape the Heart and Mind ” (May 25, 2008): If you read the Psalms only for doctrine, you’re not reading them for what they are. They are psalms, songs, poetry. They’re musical, and the reason human beings express truth with music and poetry is to awaken and express emotions that fit the truth. One of the reasons the Psalms are deeply loved by so many Christians is that they give expression to an amazing array of emotions. Listen to this list of emotions I pulled together: Loneliness: “I am  lonely  and afflicted” ( Psalms 25:16 ). Love: “I  love  you, O Lord, my strength” ( Psalms 18:1 ). Awe: “Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in  awe  of him” ( Psalms 33:8 ). Sorrow: “My life is spent with  sorrow ” ( Psalms 31:10 ). Regret: “I am  sorry  for my sin” ( Psalms 38:18 ). Contrition: “A broken and  contrite  heart, O God, you will not despise” ( Psalms 51:1...

A funny video to make us think about the genuineness of our worship music:

Here is the video from my sermon on Philippians 4:6-9 at Lynton Missionary Church in Lynwood, CA, on June 17, 2012. Unfortunately, the recorder gave out about thirty minutes into the message, but don't be anxious: you can get the lost fifteen minutes from the manuscript below. od comforts us in the fact that our heroes in the faith are human.  We only need to think of David, who Scripture records was a man after God’s own heart—someone who stood up to Goliath’s bullying with the strength and faith unlike any of his countrymen.  Even so, he was human.  We remember his failures as a father.  We remember his failures in leadership.  We remember his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba.  We remember his murder of her husband.  If after all of this he is remembered as a man after God’s own heart in Acts 13:22, God’s grace provides hope for us all. There is another time when he stumbled in his faith.  Before Saul died in batt...